


Go Drink Some Water

by Betery



Series: Go Drink Some Water [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy is Clueless About Muggle Things, F/M, Fluff, Hufflepuff Reader, Romance, ocarina, reader turned oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26594629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Betery/pseuds/Betery
Summary: Read is a muggle-born Hufflepuff and had a run-in with Draco Malfoy. After a disastrous encounter, she hopes that she won't run into him again anytime soon. However, Charms midterms are approaching and they are assigned classmates- and Malfoy gets assigned as her partner.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Reader
Series: Go Drink Some Water [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1934638
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	Go Drink Some Water

**Author's Note:**

> So I had an urge! Totally self-indulgent. I hope you enjoy reading it! I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Being homesick sucked. Scratch that, being homesick while all these stupid demontors were floating around was worse. After two years of being away from home you would think that she would be used to this. But she sniffled after having slipped away from her classmates after lunchtime to go up to the seventh floor to give herself a cozy study space. Like her attic room back at home.

She wasn’t watching where she was going and accidentally managed to bump into the one person she didn’t really want to meet.

His blond had practically glowed in the torch like and he looked down at her in a way only a pureblood could look at a muggleborn. She wasn’t really wanting to deal with it today and she mumbled an apology before moving around him to go up the stairs.

“What kind of apology is that?” He shouted up the stairs at her back and she sniffled again and turned around and shouted the first thing she could think of:

“Go Drink some water, Malfoy!” And sprinted up the stairs. Oh God, what kind of a comeback was _that?_

At supper that same day she saw Malfoy sitting at the table with a mirror and a pitcher of water next to his cup. Malfoy? Taking advice from a Hufflepuff? It was almost pitiable enough to attempt to apologize but she reminded herself that if she did it would serve as fuel for him against her. It was better to say nothing.

The day turned over and her first class was charms with the Slytherins. She sighed and knew that she should’ve trusted the dread in her gut when she ran up those stairs last night.

Breakfast was a blurry affair due to her being particularly tired and she mumbled to her plate for a hot cup of tea that would wake her up. And a steaming porcelain cup with a pink trim with painted flower petals on the side greeted her. She smiled, it reminded her of her great-aunt’s tea set back home.

Great, there was that homesickness again. Maybe she could owl her great-aunt to ask for a charm to combat this…depression. It _must_ be because of these blasted Dementors. There’s no other explanation because she had been doing _better_ at the end of second year.

She finished her cup of tea and she looked at her watch, it was almost time to leave for charms. She sighed, buttered another roll and put some blackberry jam on it to munch on before going to Charms. They were supposed to be being assigned their midterm exam.

Flitwick had a velvet top hat on his desk as everyone walked in.

“Hello everyone! Please, to begin class write your name on some parchment and then insert your slip of parchment into the hat!”

Everyone began to do so and sporadically people stood up and placed their name in the hat. The rim of the hat had an illusion of water and it was difficult to see to the bottom of the hat at the pile of the other student’s name.

“Your midterm assignment is going to be charming an object to complete a task. Such as this hat! “Temere duobus!” He said with a twirl and a tap on the hat, and two slips of paper were spat into the air and Flitwick summoned them over.

“Mr. Goyle and Mr. Hogarth you two will be paired together for your midterm. This hat is a simple example of what you will make. You may use a combination of transfiguration, arithmancy, runes, and potions. BUT it is the charm that must shine through!” Flitwick continued. “Since I have established the initial charm, an arithmancy circle that I placed on the inside will allow me to tap-“ which he did, “and two more names come out! Ms. Parkinson Mr. Riley.”

And it proceeded. Names were listed off and she was thinking off different possible ideas. Scissors charmed to never dull, a cup charmed to never run out of water? Oooo an instrument charmed to-

“Oi.” Someone snapped in front of her face and she looked up and saw Draco Malfoy glowering down at her, “Read is _you_ correct?” She blinked and nodded, and Malfoy nodded sharply and sat next to her.

“I hope you were brainstorming ideas for the midterm project in your stupor.”

“I was, actually.” She said and got out her quill and ink. “I was thinking of a couple of options. Never Dull Scissors.”

“I could purchase those.”

She sighed, “Uhm…never empty cup?”

“Novelty.” He drawled, examining his cuticles.

“You know this is about US putting the charm on the item and not necessarily about originality, right?”

“Of course.” Malfoy sniffed, “But _I_ want to impress people.”

“Fine, if you want to stand out so bad, we could always enchant a hat to change your hair color to puce.”

“Puce?”

“It’s a pinky color.”

“I’m starting to think you’re not taking this seriously.”

She smiled and shrugged, “Fine, no hair color changing hats.”

She tapped her fingers on her desk and hummed in thought. Maybe…her first idea wasn’t so bad. But how would Malfoy receive it? “How about…an instrument? Charmed to influence emotions.”

“That’s like, year six charms.”

Her cheeks flushed with heat at the drab tone of his voice. “Fine, if it’s such a dumb idea then you-“

“No. I _like_ it. No one here will think to try and use 6th year charms. Though we might have to use arithmancy to anchor the spell properly and a potion for durability and enhancement, but we’ll have to see about that. We should also stick with one emotion.”

Read had already set up in the library two short stacks of books already for references. Charms centered around emotions, and ‘500 most useful charms! Enchant objects to do YOUR bidding!’ Plus an old volume of the 5th year Arithmancy textbook as well as ‘Runes, Beneath the surface!’.

Currently, she was reading a fiction book that she had brought with her from home while waiting for Malfoy.

“You’re quite the reader aren’t you Read?” He commented as he’s walking up to her, a couple of potions books as well as the charms text ready to start researching.

“Guilty as charged.” She said with a smile and her book, alas, her novel about a human finding a new family in a different dimension would simply have to wait. “Shall we get started?”

“Yes, time to find the _perfect_ charm to anchor to our… what instrument are we using anyway?”

Read hummed again, tapping her fingers on the table.

“How about we start with things we _don’t_ want?”

“Anything brass. It’s boorish and honestly too much effort unless you know how to play the trumpet or bugle already.”

“I do not. There’s only one instrument I really play, but it’s more of a children’s toy really.”

“Fascinating." He didn't sound fascinated, "I was taught how to play the violin and piano, but I don’t think that would be appropriate for the project.”

Both of them fell into silence, Read still tapping her fingers on the table.

“That children toy you played with.” Malfoy interjected, “What is it?”

“It’s called an ocarina. It’s like… a flute. You can make it out of wood or clay.” And plastic she thought to herself but she wasn’t sure how well known that stuff was in the wizarding world.

“Do you have one? On you?”

“I mean in my common room, but-”

“Go get it.”

Read didn’t move and gave Malfoy a look and he, at first, had started looking at a book and looked up when he realized she hadn’t moved.

“What?”

“You _demanded_ I go get something.” She stated crossing her arms and he frowned.

“So what?”

“As classmates and partners for the midterm it’s far more appropriate to _ask nicely_.”

Malfoy rose his eyebrow before narrowing them, “I don’t see how it makes any difference.”

Read stared at Malfoy for a moment taking in his frustrated glower and his haughty attitude.

“So, is this what purebloods are taught? That being cordial with those below their stature isn’t allowed?”

“What the bloody- what’re you _on_ about?”

“I wasn’t given an introduction to pureblood culture.” Which wasn’t true her Great-Aunt made sure of that. “But I assumed that being polite to people who are obviously not servants was something even Purebloods were taught.”

“Again.” He gritted out, “I don’t understand the _issue here._ What does a please do other than waste my time?”

“A please shows you understand the effort I’ll have to go through to _get_ my ocarina.”

Draco huffed again and rubbed at his face, “Fine fine, I’m sorry. Please go through the effort and get this ocarina so we can see if it’s any good for our midterm project.”

Read took that as a win, “I’ll try to be quick.” And she went off in a fast walk to her dormitory.

The ocarina was nothing special really, just a plastic toy, but it could play pretty decent music.

When she got back Draco had hardly moved, he was writing something down in his notes and everything was pretty peaceful.

She pulled out her wand from her holster and cast a silencing bubble around them.

“I have it Malfoy.” She said and he looked up.

“Have you cast a-“

“Silencing bubble, yes.”

“So, let’s hear something then.”

“Uh…what do you want me to play?”

Draco sighed, “God Save the Queen?”

Easy enough, it took her a moment to remember the notes to play but she managed to get enough out for Draco to nod.

“We’ve found our instrument, shall we begin the search for the perfect charm?”

Read grinned and took a seat.

-

“Malfoy.” Malfoy hummed over his book, but this was _important,_ “ _Malfoy.”_ and he finally looked up.

“What?”

“The Patronus Charm.”

“I’m sorry?”

“We make an instrument that can create a Patronus charm by playing a tune.”

“How in the nine hells-“ Draco started flipping through his charms book.

“It’ll take a bit of arithmancy but I think we can do it. It’s showy, it’s complicated-“

“-And it would be beneficial with those damn dementors around.” Draco continued, his eyes reading the page he was on.

“It doesn’t have to be a powerful Patronus we’re not looking to make an animal.”

“But if we can use the sound harmonics of our ocarina-”

“-Plus other layered charms weaved into the arithmancy circle to increase ‘happiness’-”

“-Plus the grounding and enhancement potion we’ll be brewing-“

“It can make a bubble around the player!” They said at the same time, loud enough in fact to make Ms. Pince stalk over and stare them down with her beady eyes. Oops, silence bubble must've worn off. Both she and Malfoy looked at Ms. Pince with innocent wide eyes and she sniffed before backing off.

Malfoy grinned, looking over at the arithmancy book open beside her, “Think we can get in time?”

“Definitely.” Being on the same wavelength was awesome!

\--

“How can you get your head around this arithmancy stuff?”

She giggled and did a couple of calculations out on the paper, “Would you believe me if I said I kinda cheat some of the math by using runes to cut corners?”

“ _No._ ”

“It’s true!” She insisted, “My great aunt, who is also muggle-born by the way, did a thesis on how arithmancy and runes together made for easier circles to make and more potent magic. But no one really took it on to teach in classes cause… well, you know.”

Draco looked downright offended by that statement, “A muggle-born revolutionized arithmancy to make it _easi-_ I mean maybe I could understand if, I mean what I’m trying to say is that-“

“Is it that hard to compliment a muggle-born Malfoy?” She murmured to him and that froze him up almost worse than if she shouted.

“The world of wizarding politics is complicated.” Draco managed to get out after a moment to collect himself. “I hate most muggles and muggle-borns because they’ve been Christianizing wizarding culture. Muggleborns get uncomfortable with certain spells or rituals so the Ministry _outlaws_ them so the mu-muggle-borns don’t break the statue of secrecy purely because they think we’re _evil._ For centuries they’ve done nothing but-“

“I get it.” She butted in softly, but she fingered at the cuffs of her robes, “It’s a lot of bad blood. But it hurts you know? It hurts knowing that I don’t know if you’ll ever come to respect me because I don’t have four sets of wizarding grandparents on both sides of my family. I’ve got one great aunt, but most muggle-borns don’t even get that.”

The silence between them felt heavy and disheartening, and she started to close her book when Malfoy simply responded with, “I already respect you. I’ll make a Vow if you need me to prove it.”

It was like sunshine had been injected into her heart and she beamed at Malfoy, she giggled gave her thanks and started working some more on the circles needed to carve into the ocarina. A couple minutes ticked by and she looked up at Malfoy, his sharp cheeks and blond hair, perfectly pureblood and he _respected_ her.

“Malfoy.” She said to get his attention and he flicked up his eyes to meet hers.

“For what it’s worth, I respect you too.”

Funnily enough she expected a thanks, a sarcastic retort. But the flushing cheeks and skittering away with a loose thanks on his lips? Not expected at all. Was it a pureblood thing?

\--

Everything after that seemed pretty normal, the last class of the day was pretty normal. Supper was pretty normal. She event felt asleep in bed pretty normally as well!

Then breakfast came around, and with breakfast came mail, and she wasn’t really expecting anything perhaps a response from her parents or her great aunt but her aunt was busy with teaching in Edinburgh University of Sorcery.

However an owl did come circling down and gently placed a package on the table in front of her, it was a square package.

“Order something?” One of her year mates asked through a mouthful of eggs and she shook her head.

“No, must be a gift from my aunt.”

The owl hooted at her and she fed some bacon and petted the pretty white and brown molted crest and the owl blinked and leaned into her touch.

“My my you’re an affectionate one aren’t you? Are you a school owl or do you belong to a student, hm? Better be careful or I might write to my mum and ask her if I can steal you away.”

The owl didn’t respond but continued to coo under her affections and when it took its fill it hooted, gently nibbled at her fingers and flew away.

She smiled sweetly to no one in particular as the other Hufflepuff chuckled and teased at how she was some sort of animal whisperer, teasing about how Helga Hufflepuff would be so proud.

“I’m sure she would.” She agreed and carefully unwrapped the package. There was tissue paper around the gift but it was easy to tell that it was a book. But there was a card on top with her name on it and she picked it up. It wasn’t her Mum’s or Great Aunt’s handwriting.

It had her name written in quite a beautiful silver ink and it glimmered in the light in a way that made her think that this was _really silver._

She opened the card and read the note inside, on thin paper and this time written in honey gold ink that contrasted the pale parchment.

“ _There are rare moments where I find myself at a loss for words._

_In the minutes and hours, we have spent together I find myself searching for the words that encapsulate the way you have cocooned my attention._

_It is a warmth I feel deep down when we are together and friendly moments of flirtation have settled deep in my heart hours after we have spoken._

_We have known each other for two years and yet I did not know you until just a week before writing this._

_I find there are questions I have that I do not have the answers to where once false words had covered the holes._

_I find myself wanting to be around you. To cross lines of territory where no one like myself has crossed in decades._

_To keep thematically with our classwork I have found an anthology of wizarding stories, one of them telling the tale of a harp that was said to cure unrest to all who heard it. As well as the tale of the Dragon Prince and the Silver Flute. It’s a romantic tale that I believe you would like in particular._

_Growing up, I had a book very similar to this edition. I hope it’s to your liking._

_I look forward to continuing an exploration of our relationship my Treasure, because even in the whirlwind of our school days you hold the most shinning memories and moments._

_With All My Fondness,_

_D. L. M.”_

Her belly felt like butterflies had just hatched in her stomach with her eggs and toast and for sure her smile was going to pop off her face from how hard she was smiling and she set the note back in the envelope and took a look at the book It had an image of a stump pressed into the leather.

With the rest of her time at breakfast she read the introduction to the book which was a type of small history lesson about the person who wanted to gather all these tales in this one book. One of her classmates actually had to interrupt her and let her know that it was getting time for Transfiguration. She nodded and put her thinks away, tucking the letter in a special place in her bag and started for the door where she got intercepted by Malfoy.

“You’ve got Transfiguration, correct? I have Arithmancy, and they’re on the same floor.”

“Draco Malfoy, do you want to walk me to class?”

Draco did a fantastic job of not blushing and gave her a sly smile, “It wouldn’t be strange for two friends to walk together.”

That admittance was almost as good of a present as the book had been, “I won’t mind if we walk together, but I know that they’re on two different side of the landing, and I’m almost late. Which means you are as well.”

Draco gave an elegant shrug, “Let’s be on our way then.” And they continued their walk, amicably talking of what they’re respective classes had been going over and what possibly today was going to be on. When they reached the top of the stair where they should part way’s Reid was going to say something but was stopped when Malfoy reached out and brushed her hair gently away from her eyes.

“I’ll see you today in the library again?”

The butterflies fluttered in her stomach again as she nodded, “The usual time.”

Malfoy smiled and pulled his hand away, his fingertips gently brushing down her jaw.

“Until then.” And off he went.

That whole day left Read in a good mood, and that mood followed her throughout the week. She was keeping up with most of her school work and her project in Herbology was coming along swimmingly! She was taking some extra time every other day to check on the melo-daisies that were sprouting in her squared of piece of the garden.

“Th-they look really nice.” Neville stuttered from his little plot of Dragon Snappers. The sprouts weren’t quite big enough to require being fed any meat, but they did like being given attention while they grew.

“Your plot looks nice too.” Read compliments and she hums to her melo-daises. In the dirt of her plot she saw a wayward bowtruckle climbing up one of the stems.

“Well you’re a little ways away from your tree aren’t you little fellow?” Read coos to the little green druid like creature. It squeaked at her and hugged her thumb.

“I’m surprised you’re not in Care for Magical Creature, Read.” Neville said as he put away his trowel and watering can.

“I’m saving that class for when I go to University.” Read says lightly, the same thing she’s been telling her other classmates when they’ve shared storied of Hagrid’s class and just _how much_ Read would fit in there. It’s not technically a lie, because the university she's looking at does have courses for studying, caring, and handling magical creatures. In her opinion it’s simply a safer class due to the structure behind it being in a University.

“So I’ve heard.” Nevile muses, “Too bad, Hagrid’s supposed to be introducing us to a heard of Hippogriff’s today.”

Odd, that seemed more like a 5th or 6th-year animal to be introduced to. One of her Great Aunt’s first gifts to her as a younger child was a book geared towards younger age groups. She was certain that hippogriffs had been mentioned.

“I would read the chapter on Hippogriffs before getting to class. I think they’re sticklers about respect customs.”

“Respect Customs?”

Read shrugged as she finished putting away her own items, “Just something I remember. Wouldn’t want to get on their bad side, right? And from what I hear from my classmates, Hagrid…unknowingly embraces the learning by making mistakes way of teaching.”

A few of her upper classmates had been sent to Madam Pomfrey for burns and Bites from grown-up blast ended screwts.

“Tell me about it!” Neville groaned as they walked out, “He didn’t even give us instructions on how to open our books!”

Odd, “You’re not using literature from Newt Scamander?”

Neville shook his head, “I don’t even know exactly who that is.”

Well _that_ simply cannot be left alone.

“Newt Scamander was a Hufflepuff here at Hogwarts, there wasn’t a very strong class dedicated to Magical creatures let alone the ‘care of’ so he dedicated his life roaming around the world and doing as much research as he could and making the information as accessible as possible. His portrait is hung up in the hallway just outside my common room.”

Well, the portrait of him shortly after he made the grand discovery of the Obscurus. Unfortunately, by the time he was due for another portrait he was heavily suffering from mental deterioration from a bite from an unknown magical snake species.

He, of course, has a painting from his older years somewhere in the castle but Read wasn’t sure if he was at all like the young man she had spoken to over the last three years.

“Oh. Maybe if I let Hermione know, she can try and convince Hagrid to switch books.”

Read smiled, “It’s worth a shot.”

“Are you going to try and release him?” Neville asked, pointing at the Bowtruckle.

“I’m not sure. I would have to try and find an oak tree with other Bowtruckles that will accept him,” Taking another look at the bowtruckle, it seemed like the lower half was a little short, “Her? I would have to do some exploring and they don’t do well on their own.”

“I hope it works out.”

Read smiled and place her new friend in an inner pocket of her robe, “Whatever is meant to be will happen.”

\--

She went to the library and gathered some arithmancy books to start working out more of the finer details of the circle that was going to be drawn on the Ocarina. Her bowtruckle friend sat on her shoulder the whole time, and since Malfoy never showed up she used her new creature friend to bounce ideas off of.

\--

Oh, how odd her wording from earlier with Nevil sounded to her ears now as Parkinson wailed about Draco being injured by a Hippogriff later that day at supper.

She fed some melon to her new bowtruckle friend and talked to her other classmates about their experiences with the Hippogriffs. No issues, everyone followed directions.

“Draco was right to call those- those beasts ugly brutes!” Pansy tittered her crocodile tears making her eyes squint. “All he was doing was _attempting_ to groom the back of one of the creatures and it turned on him! It was quite barbaric. Why would anyone think they have awareness of others? Animals! Dangerous ones at that!”

Draco was grooming a Hippogriff, which is a well-studied and respectable creature, and called it an ugly brute. If Draco had read anything about this creature he should have known that Hippogriffs take much pride in ensuring their coats and feathers are in peak condition. The males especially since the women choose the mate.

Which implies that Draco:

  1. Didn’t read ahead and was ignorant and foolish
  2. Disobeyed directions on purpose



Or some third option. She made up her mind to go see her friend after supper.

Susan was moaning about her current grade standing in Potions and it was understandable. Snape was unhelpful at best and downright scornful at worst.

“I wish I could help but my own grade isn’t fairing too well either you know.” It’s at an E but could quickly teeter into an A or below, if not for the fact her great aunt had sent her a mini library of book on potions VERY specifically with a haughty ‘don’t buy the drivel Snape would like to force you into. I’ve ordered all the _correct_ knowledge and added an index as needed for theory and practicality.’

She had offered her fellow students to come with her in her trunk to visit this library and they had once, but only once after they discovered this method was basically them teaching themselves everything. Which was more work than they would have liked, especially if it wasn’t the profession they wanted to go into.

“I’m always here to help.” Read simple said with a smile, taking one last treacle tart to nibble on before gathering her bag and heading for the infirmary.

Pomfrey was a strict woman and if Draco was in serious condition she would have sent her away but the look she sent her when her foot crossed the entryway was ‘God help you’ or some equivalent since Read didn’t know what religious path Pomphrey followed. Read again, gave an encouraging smile and walked her way to the bed where Draco was moaning and groaning about his arm.

“You missed meeting with me at the library.” She starts simply, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh come off it, I’m injured!”

She looked him over and yes he looked miserable but she knew genuine pain when she saw it, like when Harry got his arm broken by the bludger or when she herself had been sent to the Infirmary for causing a cup to explode right in her hands when she accidentally broke the arithmancy circle when trying to move it. (Never again would she write a circle with Water Soluble Ink)

“I’m told you were assaulted by a Hippogriff.” She stated lightly while taking a seat.

“Yes, there I was minding my own business- and it ATTACKED me!”

“Minding your own business, hm?” She says lightly, taking a seat in her chair, crossing her ankles. “Pansy spun quite a different tale.”

“…oh?” Draco began, his eyes shifting. “What’d she have to say?”

“That while you were grooming a high ranking member of the flock of Hippogriffs that Hagrid had managed to convince to join him in his lesson, you called the hippogriff an ‘ugly brute’ which is strange because I’m pretty sure one of the biggest rules to know about hippogriffs is that they don’t take being insulted with humble actions.”

“Well you see I-“

“Draco. If I have to undertake the Lions share work of our Midterm I _will_ explain to Professor Flitwick what happened. And you remember what he said about each of us getting _separate grades._ ”

Draco swallowed and made an exaggerated movement with his arm, “Ah, well! I’m feeling much better now, those potions seem to be finally working. Must’ve been an older batch.”

“That’s nice.” Read sweetly chirped, “I’m glad you’re going to be okay. But next time…please remember that magical creatures can kill you? Like, I know your arm got scratched but there are lots of other creatures that Hagrid can show you that will just…drop kick you into the afterlife.”

“What’s a dropkick?”

“ _That’s_ what you took from that??”

A moment of seriousness hung in the air before Read broke into giggles, “You’re so ridiculous. I bet you can name every Quidditch maneuver in the book, but you can’t guess what a dropkick is?”

Malfoy rolled his eyes, his cheeks and ears a bit pink, “Oh laugh it up. Why would anyone in quidditch ever drop something on purpose to _kick it_?”

The rest of the evening seemed to melt away and Madam Pomfrey had to shoo Read out of the Infirmary.

“You’ll see him tomorrow! Off with you!” She chided and Read smiled sweetly.

“Thank you for letting me stay as long as I did Madam. I’m sure Draco really appreciated it. I know I did.”

Madam Pomfrey sniffed, “Well he should. The way he was bellyaching earlier was a downright embarrassment. Thank you for getting some sense into his head.”

“You’re very welcome.”

That night found Read with her nose in the book Malfoy had gotten for her. She skipped to the stories he had mentioned in the letter and let the story about a kingdom being haunted by a terrible curse and a harp that could solve all their problems.

\--

The next few days flew by fast and soon enough it was charming again and the first half was dedicated to theory and then they released under the pretense of working on their midterm projects, “I’m sure some of you have potions to brew and arithmancy circle to calculate. I look forward to seeing your projects!”

And that was that. Malfoy came over as Read was packing up her things. “To the potions lab?” Read asked Draco and he nodded, with a small smile hidden in the corner of his lips.

“I’ve arranged with professor Snape to make this potion. He even provided some of the ingredients from his personal store to ‘encourage a students interest in the brewing arts’” He said while putting Snape’s words in quotations.

“Sounds good to me, you do the brewing I’ll keep working on the Arithmancy circle.”

Draco’s smile widened. “I couldn’t imagine a better spent two and a half hours.”

They walked in companionable silence to the dungeons and there was larger chatter from down the way. Laughter and playful arguing. Before Read could step out of the way one of the laughing members of the other party had ran into her full on and sent both of them tumbling to the ground.

“Hey!” Read admonished and Malfoy reached a hand out to help her up. She gratefully took his hand.

Granger, who apparently run into her, was being helped up by Ronald Weasley. Granger smiled thankfully at Weasley and turned to face Read. “I’m sorry for knocking you over.” Oddly enough her eyes quickly glanced at Malfoy then to her.

Read just gave a smile, “It’s alright. No one got hurt. Just keep an eye out next time okay? These corners are pretty wicked with their blindspots.”

Hermione smiled a little at the forgiveness, “Ta then.” She said and the Gryffindor Trio was off.

“Are you really alright? You weren’t putting a show on, were you?” Malfoy’s brows were _actually_ creased with worry.

“Seriously I’m fine. Let’s just get to brewing that potion alright? The ocarina should be arrivving in the post tomorrow, and you said that the potion is only good for a few days after brewing when using the stasis charm right?”

She and Malfoy had deliberated on what sort of material the ocarina should be made of and decided that ceramic with the use of phoenix ashes should do the trick. Phoenix’s were a symbol of hope and rebirth. The latent magic properties of the ashes should anchor, if not help power, the spell they want to use.

When the ocarina came the owl was sure to be gentle with the landing and Read recognized the wax emblem on the parchment wrapped box She squealed and opened it. Inside the box was a velvet linning that housed and cushioned the ocarina, a golden amber hue that just _begged_ to be played. But she had to wait. She needed to show Draco first, and then she could take her special etching tools to carve the Arithmancy circle in it.

Malfoy must’ve seen her eagerness from across the hall because she saw him coming this way across the room and she grinned.

“Well, you’re excited to see someone.” Susan teased as her and she shushed her, “It’s for the charms midterm! I have every right to be excited.”

“We get our package then?” Malfoy asked. As if he needed to. She held up the treasure.

“It looks better than I imagined!”

Malfoy carefully took the instrument from her hands and examined it. “The craftsmanship is _well_ worth the price. Shall we go work on it?”

Read beamed and agreed, bidding her friends goodbye. She passed by the Gryffindor table and felt the piercing gaze of Ronald Weasley’s stare. She shrugged it off.

Weasley _took it._ She had been in Transfiguration. Practicing the spell for the day. Turning wood into a magnesium rod. Which was a lot harder than turning a matchstick into a needle, but far more useful. However it was far too easy for the rod to become a useless piece of metal. There had to be an easier way. Maybe she could look up trigger words in latin?

She sighed spouting the trigger words used in the spell phrase that McGonagall had given them and the spiral-pull wand movement.

“You’ve almost got it!” Susan encourages, “I doubt the Professor will have _you_ do homework today.”

Read smiled a little, “Yeah, if I can master this spell all I’ll have is the essay due next Friday. And then I can put all my focus on my _project_ with Malfoy.”

“You haven’t finished?

“Oh we have, but there’s the matter of we haven’t figured out what piece to play, and Draco said that the potion was finally ready. You’d think the first two batches were good enough but not up to his standards. This third batch he actually asked Professional Snape for help with the last one. It actually turned into an interesting private session between the three of us!” Read leaned forward a little, “I even earned _ten_ house points for suggesting we stabilize it with orotucum turmeric.”

She focused more on her wooden rod and even managed to get half to turn into some sort of metal. “Hrmph. This is too difficult. I need to talk to the professor.” And she got up from her spot and went to the front desk to talk about the theory and visualization a little more.

When she got back she felt a little more confidant and then the hourglass charmed to time the class ran out and they were dismissed. “Keep practicing! I expect you to be able to cast the spell at a more proficient level by the next class period!”

She smiled to herself and grabbed her bag. Time to do something a little more fun! When she slung her bag over her shoulder it didn’t feel right. It was too flat, like something wasn’t inside of it. She was sure she had put her transfiguration text inside her bag. She frowned and shifted her bag in front of her still walking and started rifiling through her things and managed to get to the stairs to head down to the main floor.

She was about halfway down this first set when someone interrupted her. “Missing something?”

Read looked up at Weasley's sour tone, about to say something snide but her words stopped cold at her throat. He was holding the ocarina, and he was holding it over the railing of the stairs 4 floors above the main floor.

“Why’s this so important, huh?” He berated, as though her silence was some confession, “It’s just some…plaything!”

“It’s for the charms midterm Weasley; give it back!” She made a move to grab it but his height distance and position on the stairs didn’t do read any favors.

“I don’t believe it not for one second.”

“Please, I had to special order it in a specific ceramic so that-“

“So you can use it for dark magic? I would’ve expected something like this from Malfoy, but you? A Hufflepuff?”

“It’s for the _charms’ midterm._ I wouldn’t use dark magic!”

Ron frowned and he looked at the ocarina in his hand, “Charm midterms? Why would you use something like this?”

“That is _none_ of your business. Especially since you just accused me of using dark arts!”

Weasley look a little confused but he shook his head “Fine whatever my mistake here-“ And it was a moment of relief swallowed by a moment of horror as the stairs made a shaky jerk to move to their next position. This jolt was enough for the gangly Weasley to trip over his own feet, and he tried to restabilize with his other hand using the rail but it was too late- the ocarina was out of his hand over the precipice.”

And those weeks of work- the physical manifestation of her and Draco’s time was falling through the air for just a scant couple of moments- before crashing into a million pieces onto the ground.

Her eyes burned her cheats burned too. She wanted to yell and scream but her throat felt clogged. She looked over the railing until another stair blocked her view from the broken ocarina.

“ _What_ is going on here?” Came McGonagall’s voice from the Landing just below and Read looked over to her and saw a firstie standing behind her.

She swallowed, trying to find her voice to explain what had happened but Ron beat her to it.

“I’m sorry professor- I. I took Read’s charms project, I was gonna give it back but the stairs- and. It’s broken ma’am. I broke Read’s midterm Charm’s project.”

“And _Why_ would you take her project Mr. Weasley?”

His face turned read, “I- I thought she was gonna do something bad with it. But I was wrong.”

“Ms. Read? Is this true?”

“It was my charms project Professor. Malfoy and I poured two months of research into it…and it’s due Thursday.” Two days from now.

“I’m certain Professor Filtwick will allow an extension Ms. Read.”

“I’m sorry Read, if that means anything.”

“Indeed.” McGonagall cut in, “20 points for stealing another classmates property, and detention this Saturday.”

\--

It had been a grueling 2 and a half weeks.

At first, Read was worried about how Malfoy would’ve responded to hearing their work had been destroyed. 

His class ended just a few minutes after Read's and he found Read sniffling kneeling on the floor picking up amber shards of ceramics Instead of turning into a righteous ball of fury after Read has explained the confrontation he only placed a hand on Read’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. 

"We'll figure this out." He assured, and even wiped away a wayward tear. With the back of his fingers.

Together they gathered the smashed pieces of their creation.

Flitwick had been quite understanding, and at first gave them a weeks extension, but Malfoy had insisted in at least 3. Flitwick, a little confused, had asked why. Read and Draco opened their journals full of notes on their ocarina plans and Flitwick looked them over.

“In theory this is quite impressive, for this amount of work for only third years….yes. Three weeks should be just fine. I’ll even allow you a small stipend to help with purchasing a new ocarina. I’m looking forward to your work.”

They had begun work immediately sending another owl order with galleons attached to the leg of the owl and began working on the potion at once. It would take up to 2 weeks for the ocarina to be delivered depending on how swamped the merchant was, but they got a letter expressing sorrow for their misfortune and a free of charge invulnerability spell.

Things were coming along nicely, and the rhythm of the castle was finally starting to get back to normal until the portraits all started to sound the alarm.

Black was in the castle.

Black was in the castle and hurt one of the portraits.

The dementors were everywhere and she hated it. She and Draco with the time Flitwick had given them managed to re-create their masterpiece, tomorrow was going to be the day they presented it but having the dementors so close even with the professors at the doors to ward them off wasn’t doing anything to settle her nerves.

She wanted Draco near, to at least know if he was okay and let his powerful magical aura comfort her, but the bed arrangements, of course, were house based rather than first come first serve.

“Those dementors are creepy.” Whispered her year mate Turner.

“I think I’m going to have nightmares.” A firstie whimpered, their name was Quincy.

“I wish I could go home.” Someone else mumbled and the atmosphere only seemed to be worsening. It felt so helpless and she wished she could do something. 

There was something she could do, and now was a better time than any to prove that it could work against dementors.

She pulled out the instrument and it’s amber golden hue almost radiated with the magic poured into it.

“I’m sorry we have to be dealing with this.” She said to those around her, “How about I play a little song? My Aunt taught me this after she went traveling in Japan. It’s a lullaby Japanese wizards learn to encourage good sleep and sweet dreams.”

It wasn’t curfew yet, and the other chatter in the great hall was pretty loud, so it shouldn’t be any bother for her playing a small song, right?

“It’s better than listening to all this chatter,” Susan said with a small flip of her hair and then chuckled at her own dramatic antics.

“Alright.” Read agreed and took a deep breath and mentally crossed her fingers. She placed the instrument at her lips and began to play.

It was a soft tune, soothing as the progression of the melody rippled out of the instrument with the placements of her fingers. Almost instantly it reminded her of the first time she heard this tune when her Aunt had finally come home. It reminded her of days by the fireplace and the time she first learned she was a witch when her Teddy Bear started following her around.

She let the spell take hold and she held onto the memory of having a little playmate and the feeling of the tingly magic at her fingertips. Like the time Draco had held her hand during the first snow when he cast the warming charm and it brushed across her.

“Wow…” Someone said and she opened her eyes to see the soft blue glow permeating around her as she played, it lit up at least four beds around her. When she finished she realized just how much quieter the hall was.

“What was that?” Turner asked, “Wait..that’s your charms project right? It HAS to be. What was that light? It was so pretty!”

“That looked like a Patronus to me.” Someone said behind her and her stomach dropped but in a sort of way that was ‘I’m riding a roller coaster and this is awesome’ way because it was Professor Remus standing just a couple paces away and he was _beaming._

Professor Remus’ mostly focused on Dark Magical Creatures but with magical creatures came the spells to defend yourself with them, and just last week? They had gone over the theory of the Patronus charm (at the request of Read of course, before _any_ of the Ravenclaws could. She had felt soooo cheeky!)

Read smiled right back at him, “Thanks, professor. Draco and I worked really hard on this project.”

Remus rose both his eyebrows a bit

“You know, every summer the Ministry of Magic hosts a convention of magical inventions. I think this ocarina might get you a good running for the top prize.”

“Thanks, professor, I’ll definitely look into it!” Professor Remus nodded and head turned around to head to the front of the hall. Everyone murmured softly and sleep came easier than night.

Morning came with smaller tables set up throughout the hall Dumberdore, still in his atrocious pajamas (a half and half night robe that was fire orange and mint green) at the front grinning, “I thought in light of this situation having a more relaxed breakfast is called for, no need to change you may return to your dorms to do that. Morning classes have been canceled.”

It was enjoyable. Read talked lightly with her friends over jam toast and eggs with bacon.

It came time to back up to leave and Read had packed up her things to head to her dorm to get properly dressed for the day. Waiting for her at the door to the great hall was Malfoy and he had this…soft expression on his face.

“Hey.” He greeted her when she approached and she smiled at him.

“Hey.” She said in response and he got this flushed expression.

“So…there’s a Hogsmede weekend coming up.”

“I know.” Read responds and Malfoy nods.

“I was thinking…we could go together for lunch.”

“Hopefully not at Madam Puddifoots.”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

“Hmm…I think I would like a picnic better. We could go to the kitchens together and ask the elves for help. I know somewhere great in the castle we can’t be bothered.”

Draco raised both eyebrows his eyes widening a bit at her statement, “My my full of surprises aren’t we Read?” He offers his arm to her.

“I think at this point you can call me by my first name.” Read stage whispers leaning into Draco when propping her arm into his elbow, mentally cataloging that under his school robe he was wearing blue silk pajamas.

“Oh? Then by all means call me Draco Ms…?” And he leaned close to her smiling smugly almost expectantly.

“Erma. Erma Read.” And kissed his cheek before tugging him along.

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you all think? I have some more ideas for this couple! Comments long short and emojis are always appreciated!


End file.
